Ever forget your passport?

[Maureenie Beanie]

I booked a cruise for 5/12/06 as a mental health cruise after finishing rad. treatments. Since I only booked a month before the cruise I had to print etickets. Finished the rad. treatment on Thursday before the Sat. cruise. My daughter and I had my husband drive us to the air port. Half way to FL it hit me and I started to cry "oh no we didn't bring passports or birthcertificates". The flight attendents were telling me when we land have my husband drive them to the air port and get it on the next flight (didn't think that was a good idea). After landing in Ft. Lauderdale, we headed to the pier anyway. When the porter was going to take our bags, I was still emotional and said "I don't think I can go on the trip", he then walked me over to a RCCL agent. He told me not to worry (it was still pre-passport time) and I could fill out paperwork and that would be ok. It was a trip I really needed (BTW it was like my 25th cruise). I always put my passport in the envelope when the tickets came, but I didn't have booklet tickets. That is my story. Leaving 2/15/08 from NJ and yes my passport is in with the tickets which I never forget.

[shofer]

I posted this on all the major cruise line boards so it it helps even one person not to forget their passport, then it will have served it's purpose. I saw on the Carnival site, that some people have been able to board w/o them, but had to fill out several documents. I guess US law still allows you to sail in the Caribbean w/o one? Is this correct?

 

I don't know if I would have wanted to wait until I actually got to the pier to know if it was resolved or not. We had to show our boarding pass and passport before they would let us in the terminal!

[Cruiser42]

I thought my story was bad -- its nothing compared to the OP !!!

A few years ago, my mother and I were sitting in my living room, the night before our cruise, when appropos of nothing, she says, "you know, I didnt even bring my passport". I sighed, and started putting on my shoes. She said, "what are you doing ??" I answered with, "where is it ??" She lives 200 miles from me. So, yep, I drove to her house, went in, got the passport, visited the loo, drove home. Got home at 2, went to bed, got up at 5 to go to the airport. ahhhhh.

 

The first question out of my mouth every day for a week before the cruise now: Where is your passport ???

 

She's never forgotten it !

Cruise well, all !

[Kiera99]

NCL would NOT allow my friends to board in Honolulu, without a passport. Puerto Rico and the other islands may be in a different catagory.

Thank you for the wake-up call.

[lmmn]

I posted this earlier, but recently my friend forgot her passport. She had to call home, get someone to fax a copy of her birth certificate, and then RCCL called a lawyer to notarize ($60). This was not fun...it was a four hour process. Without doing this, she would not have been able to board the ship.

[Lakeside Annie]

Ugh! This is my nightmare!!!

I'm so happy everything turned out so well for you!

[nbsjcruiser]

Nothing as bad as that but in '06 we were headed to the airport. It was bright and early (5am) and we had been up for a couple hours anyway in full blown Cruise Anticipation Mode. Luggage was packed, cameras, money, etc all ready to go in the car. I had placed my passport on the table by the door with my carry on. We piled into my daughter's car and she drove us to the airport. We were waiting in line to check in and suddenly I could not find my passport. Tore my carry on apart - no passport. My Daughter had left already and was heading back home - a 15 minute drive. The problem was our plane was due to leave in about 45 minutes. Suddenly I noticed our financial adviser standing close to us. He gave me a wave and came over, obviously noticing the panic. Nice guy, he offered to drive me back to the house and get it but I still didn't know if we would have time. I called my Daughters cell phone and thankfully she had it with her - explained the problem and told her where it was and to hustle it back asap.

 

Suddenly a bolt of lightning hit me - wait there's a little pocket on the end of the carry on bag. Bingo there it was. Phew!

 

That is as close as I have come.

[Sue L]

NCL would NOT allow my friends to board in Honolulu, without a passport. Puerto Rico and the other islands may be in a different catagory.

Thank you for the wake-up call.

 

 

Did they have birth certificates or absolutely nothing? If they didn't have either the bc or the passport that is why they were denied not because of a the passport. It does not make sense to me that a US citizen was denied boarding in a US port unless they had NO documents.

[Rancher Dave]

That's why we use our passports as ID when we check in for our flights.

 

 

Ditto...in this case I could send DD and DW on ahead take a penalty on my flight and go home to get Passports, because since I am the guardian of them it'd have to be my fault if they were forgotten.

[kanigeta]

Wow! What a knuckle-biter. I hope the actual cruise was very very relaxing for you. After reading this, our passports went straight into my carry-on tonight.

[Pootle]

OMG that story stressed me out kjust reading it! I would have been pulling my hair out in your position, glad it was resolved in the end and you got on your cruise tho!

 

I guess the moral of this story would be never trust a man with anything important!

[Kiera99]

Did they have birth certificates or absolutely nothing? If they didn't have either the bc or the passport that is why they were denied not because of a the passport. It does not make sense to me that a US citizen was denied boarding in a US port unless they had NO documents.

They had nothing, since it was Hawaii. NCL is a foreign ship and it was sailing to Fanning Island. It's a long story. A passport was absolutely necessary for this trip.

NCL now has an American ship that only sails the Hawaiian Islands. Therefore there is NO need for a passport.

Anyway, she sued the TA and went to arbitration. The TA paid for half of the expenses of getting emergency passports and hiring an airplane to get to the next island to board the ship.